Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes
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Unclassified Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................4 1.1 Purpose .............................................................................................................4 1.2 Regulatory Context ............................................................................................4 1.3 Background to the Decommissioning Proposals ................................................5 1.4 Exploration of Re-use Opportunities ..................................................................7 1.5 Summary of Decommissioning Proposals ..........................................................7 2.0 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT .................................................................................9 2.1 BG’s Approach ...................................................................................................9 2.2 The Engagement Programme ............................................................................9 2.3 Learning from Others .........................................................................................9 3.0 KEY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES .............................................................................. 11 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 11 3.2 DECC (now BEIS)............................................................................................ 13 3.3 Regulatory Agencies and Statutory Consultees ............................................... 13 3.4 Early Stage Briefings ....................................................................................... 15 3.5 Stakeholder Workshop ..................................................................................... 18 3.6 Comment on Emerging Recommendations ...................................................... 20 4.0 RESPONDING TO THE CONSULTATION ................................................................. 23 4.1 Commenting on the Draft Decommissioning Programmes ............................... 23 5.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 24 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... 25 APPENDIX 2 PIPELINE STATUS - NEARSHORE ............................................................... 26 APPENDIX 3 LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS ............................................................................ 27 APPENDIX 4 INTRODUCTORY EMAIL TO STAKEHOLDERS 26 June 2016 ..................... 29 APPENDIX 5 STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP ....................................................................... 31 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 – Exploration of Re-use Options ................................................................................7 Table 2 – Key Engagement Milestones, Activities and Outcomes ........................................ 11 Table 3 – Preliminary Stakeholder Comments ...................................................................... 16 Table 4 – Queries Arising from the Stakeholder Workshop, November 2015 ....................... 19 Table 5 – Responses to Emerging Recommendations Report Issued to Stakeholders ....................................................................................................... 21 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 - Atlantic & Cromarty Field Location .........................................................................5 Figure 2 – Atlantic & Cromarty Field Layout ...........................................................................6 AC-ACD-W-RE-3016 Page 3 Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose This report describes the engagement which BG Group (BG) has undertaken with stakeholders during the pre-planning for the decommissioning of the subsea facilities and pipelines associated with the Atlantic and Cromarty (A&C) Fields in the outer Moray Firth which ceased production of gas and gas condensate in 2009. It is made available as part of the statutory and public consultation which has been triggered by submission of Draft Decommissioning Programmes to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) which assumed the responsibilities for decommissioning from the Department of Energy and Climate Change in July 2016. The Stakeholder Engagement Report is one of three documents submitted for consultation in support of the Draft Decommissioning Programmes [1] for the A&C Field, alongside the Comparative Assessment Report [2] and the Environmental Impact Assessment Report [3]. Each of these documents is available online at the BEIS website1, on request from BG (see section 4), and, during the consultation, available at its offices2. Other documents cited within each of the documents can also be made available to consultees for inspection by prior arrangement with BG (see Section 4). The consultation runs from 20 September to 20 October 2016 and details of how to respond are advised in Section 4 of this document. Responses from statutory, regulatory and public consultees will be incorporated into the ‘final’ Decommissioning Programmes which are submitted for approval, and reported in an updated version of this present document. 1.2 Regulatory Context The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations and pipelines on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) is controlled through the Petroleum Act 1998, as amended by the Energy Act 2008. The UK's international obligations on decommissioning are governed principally by the 1992 Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) [4] which requires the removal of facilities (e.g. platforms and subsea infrastructure) except in very special circumstances. The DECC Guidance Notes [5] align with OSPAR Decision 98/3. The intention for removal of the A&C facilities complies with these requirements. Pipelines do not fall within the remit of OSPAR Decision 98/3 but BEIS requires that operators apply the OSPAR framework of comparative assessment when assessing all feasible options for those pipelines which are candidates for decommissioning in situ. Because of the widely different circumstances of each case, the Guidance Notes do not predict with any certainty what decommissioning strategy may be approved in respect of any class of pipeline. Each pipeline must therefore be considered on its merits and in the light of comparative assessment of the feasible options taking into account the safety, environmental, technical, societal and cost impacts of the options. 1 See ‘Table of draft decommissioning programmes under consideration’ at www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas- decommissioning-of-offshore-installations-and-pipelines. 2 BG Group, 27 Albyn Place, Aberdeen AB10 1YL Page 4 AC-ACD-W-RE-3016 Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report 1.3 Background to the Decommissioning Proposals The Atlantic and Cromarty Fields are located in the outer Moray Firth in UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) Blocks 14/26a, 20/1 (north) and 13/30 respectively (see Figure 1). They lie approximately 79 km northeast of the St Fergus gas terminal on the north east Aberdeenshire coast and approximately 135 km from the median line with Norway. Figure 1 shows the location of the fields and their associated subsea infrastructure which tie the fields back to shore. Figure 1 - Atlantic & Cromarty Field Location Gas and gas condensate production from within the fields began in 2005 and ended in 2009, with permission to cease production formally granted by DECC in 2011. The pipelines were cleaned and put into the Interim Pipeline Regime (IPR) pending investigation of options to extend the useful life of the fields. The Atlantic manifold (see Figure 2), the largest item of subsea equipment within the A&C infrastructure, which connects the A&C wells to the export pipeline and to the control umbilicals (operated from the neighbouring Goldeneye platform) was also left in place for this period together with other subsea equipment. The three wells were mechanically plugged in 2014, pending full ‘plug and abandonment during decommissioning execution. AC-ACD-W-RE-3016 Page 5 Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report Figure 2 – Atlantic & Cromarty Field Layout Page 6 AC-ACD-W-RE-3016 Atlantic & Cromarty Fields Decommissioning Programmes Stakeholder Engagement Report 1.4 Exploration of Re-use Opportunities A number of options for re-using the A&C facilities have been explored since production ended, including: Use of the reservoirs for gas storage; Use of the reservoirs for storing carbon dioxide; Sale of the facilities and infrastructure to other oil and gas companies. A summary of the discussions held appears in Table 1 below. Table 1 – Exploration of Re-use Options Date Potential Re-use Opportunity Discussions on potential third party acquisition of the entire Atlantic & Cromarty system 2010-2011 (including fields and associated infrastructure). 2010-2011 Discussions to explore carbon capture and storage and potential tie-in the Phoenix Field. Discussions on potential third party acquisition in the Atlantic and Cromarty fields and/or all or 2012